Guest Closed Account 1 Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 New Kato Tram Switches delayed until mid to late October. Or later. Link to comment
cteno4 Posted September 28, 2012 Share Posted September 28, 2012 Hopefully things are settling down. http://nyti.ms/SUyUDi Jeff Link to comment
Guest Closed Account 1 Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 I just reserved 3 of each L & R Unitram Turnouts at Hobby Search. The "You can Reserve" email arrived hours after the individual email that said you can't reserve item when reserve is closed. Can only mean that production will be plentiful or people canceled reservations. Kato Japan postponed tbe turnouts again to February. Link to comment
IST Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Have you seen this picture? It seems the turnouts are ready. Link to comment
bill937ca Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Have you seen this picture?It seems the turnouts are ready. image.jpg Now, lets see if they actually work. The engineering of tram turnouts and tram wheels is different than railway tracks and railway turnouts. Link to comment
bill937ca Posted January 30, 2013 Share Posted January 30, 2013 Have you seen this picture?It seems the turnouts are ready. image.jpg That seems to be an old preview photo. The caption says "will be released after November". The blog was dated October 17, 2012. http://shinyurisl.blog.fc2.com/blog-date-20121017.html Link to comment
IST Posted January 31, 2013 Share Posted January 31, 2013 That seems to be an old preview photo. The caption says "will be released after November". The blog was dated October 17, 2012. http://shinyurisl.blog.fc2.com/blog-date-20121017.html Oh, thanks, I did not know this is an old photo. :-( Link to comment
nekomo Posted February 4, 2013 Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) The release date in Japan is already announced in the website http://www.katomodels.com/distribution/schedule_e.shtml NEW 40-211 Tram Electric Turnout R180 Right 5,040 4949727055343 - Feb.5 NEW 40-210 Tram Electric Turnout R180 Left 5,040 4949727055336 - | Edited February 4, 2013 by nekomo Link to comment
Guest Closed Account 1 Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) In stock. Just Paid for my Kato Unitram Turnouts today. Edited February 5, 2013 by Webskipper Link to comment
tsubasa119 Posted February 9, 2013 Share Posted February 9, 2013 (edited) Has anyone heard if there are there any plans to have a set of Y shaped Unitram points? in order to make triangle junctions? or even threeway points for Grand Union Junctions? Edited February 9, 2013 by tsubasa119 Link to comment
bill937ca Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 What is really needed are some short straights and curved sections with the 33mm track center spacing to stretch out junctions. Link to comment
bill937ca Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 There are some track plans on this Japanese language blog. http://blog.miyakomokei.com/?p=4440 Link to comment
IST Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 I could do my first try of the new switches: And I am not 100% happy. :-( My red Unitram continuously derailing on one of the switches, and my Kumamoto tram with Tomix LRT chassis is also derailing. I will upload a video about this also. Beside of this it looks great, it works great with my other trams. It makes much more enjoyable the tram layout, there are a lot of option to use. Of course it knows the power and non-power route feature as the Unitrack swithces. The moving part of the switch is very easily moving, so if it stays in a wrong position, every tram can run through it without any problem. I think from the other direction this cause the derailing issue. 1 Link to comment
bill937ca Posted March 7, 2013 Share Posted March 7, 2013 (edited) I suspect these are not spring switches, but we will find out. I am expecting some problems since tram points and tram wheels are very different from railway points and wheels. Edited March 8, 2013 by bill937ca Link to comment
Bernard Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 Just the red tram derails on the switches? Is there something in the trucks or is the front of the tram need trimming? Link to comment
bill937ca Posted March 8, 2013 Share Posted March 8, 2013 (edited) Just the red tram derails on the switches? Is there something in the trucks or is the front of the tram need trimming? Problem is that low floor trams have independent wheels without axles which frequently presents issues at switches. Prototype info here: http://www.apta.com/mc/rail/previous/2012/presentations/Presentations/Smatlak-North-American-Application-of-Modern-Streetcar-Vehicles.pdf Edited March 8, 2013 by bill937ca Link to comment
bill937ca Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 The moving part of the switch is very easily moving, so if it stays in a wrong position, every tram can run through it without any problem. I think from the other direction this cause the derailing issue. Did you read the instructions inside the package card? Spring switch (trailing switch) is non power routed. The factory setting is to power routing. For power routing both screws are on the inside of the four screw positions. For non-power routing both screws are on the outside of the four screw positions. Link to comment
IST Posted March 15, 2013 Share Posted March 15, 2013 Did you read the instructions inside the package card? Spring switch (trailing switch) is non power routed. The factory setting is to power routing. For power routing both screws are on the inside of the four screw positions. For non-power routing both screws are on the outside of the four screw positions. Do you think that these crews cause the too easy switch moves? I thought the screws are only for which track has power and which has no power. Link to comment
bill937ca Posted March 16, 2013 Share Posted March 16, 2013 (edited) Do you think that these crews cause the too easy switch moves? I thought the screws are only for which track has power and which has no power. Edited March 16, 2013 by bill937ca Link to comment
brill27mcb Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 You can tell they are not "tram/trolley people" when the refer to "locomotive" and "train" on their sheet... Rich K. Link to comment
cteno4 Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 Wonder if the Japanese says tram and it was just translated as loco as usual. Or the tech writer was lazy and no one caught it... Jeff Link to comment
bill937ca Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 You can tell they are not "tram/trolley people" when the refer to "locomotive" and "train" on their sheet... Rich K. It could be worse. We could still be adapting stock rail. Link to comment
brill27mcb Posted March 17, 2013 Share Posted March 17, 2013 I do give them credit for discussing a spring switch operation. That is a pretty tram/trolley sort of thing, and it helps to overcome the operational limitations of driving both points with one turnout motor. Having one car is swinging off on the curve and another coming down the straight route in the opposite direction is a fairly common thing, so it's good to have a way to handle it. Rich K. Link to comment
Tyler B Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 Hi all, I'm assuming from the posts in this thread that the tram turnouts are now available and have been for a while? I only ask because the main UK suppliers (the primary importer and also the web guy who gets stuff from all over) still haven't had them, and keep telling me they are not available yet? I'm itching to get a junction for my line Link to comment
bill937ca Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I`ve had mine since early March. They are available through Japanese dealers. I don't think Kato has released them to foreign dealers yet. Link to comment
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